Should You Get the Flu Shot?

Should You Get the Flu Shot?
The flu shot is a vaccine that you are injected with to reduce the risk of getting the flu virus. "Experts" recommend that anyone above the age of 6 months should get one every year from around September to May. They claim the flu vaccine contains dead or inactive forms of the flu virus that will ensure you do not contract, or pass, the virus to anyone else.

Sounds good right? But why is the government, so determined to make it mandatory to receive the vaccine? Research shows there is no evidence the flu shot reduces transmission rates. Reports are there, yes, but not enough to document it as fact.

Pharmaceutical companies earn in the billions annually from flu shot sales.
  • The alliance for national health reported that the federal government invested $400 million of taxpayers' money in vaccine giants such as Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline to develop new vaccines in 2012 alone.
  • JPMorgan investment bank estimated that in 2009 alone, pharmaceutical corporations made $10-$15 billion in profits from swine flu vaccine alone.
These figures are mind-blowing, but how about we look at the actual implications of getting injected with the vaccine.

The first thing to consider is the relatively short protection period that the shot offers you protection. At most, the vaccination effect lasts six months, and when you receive the shot, it takes two weeks for it to kick in.

Contains Neurotoxic Ingredients - Many of these vaccines have an ingredient known as thimerosal (Mercury). Some of them are:
  • Afluria CSL (For Merck)
  • FluLaval (By GlaxoSmithKline)
  • Fluvirin (By Novartis)
  • Fluzone (Sanofi Pasteur)
Mercury can cause neurological problems, especially to children, even in small doses. Another report indicated that the relationship between mercury doses and autism was linear and statistically significant.

Fetal Deaths - The number of fetal deaths reported as a result of flu shots has increased exponentially. A study by the Human and Environmental Toxicology Journal reported a 4,250% increase in miscarriages during the flu season of 2009/2010. Coincidentally, this is the same season that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) had recommended that pregnant mothers be given two flu shots.

Narcolepsy - During the H1N1 (Bird Flu) pandemic, flu shots were distributed like crazy without explaining the possible long-term side effects. Recent studies are now connecting cases of narcolepsy to the vaccine. Studies that were undertaken in Finland stated that they observed a 17 times increase in narcolepsy cases in 2010 as compared to other years.

Pharmaceutical Companies Are Protected - In 1986, the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act was passed. The law states that you cannot sue a pharmaceutical company on the grounds of their vaccine harming your child.

You Shed the Virus after Vaccination - Reports from the Centers for Disease Control website show that people vaccinated with the live-attenuated influenza vaccine typically shed the viruses from the vaccines.

Chances of Getting the Flu are High - Reports indicate that getting vaccinated predisposes you to contract the flu. Another study observed that there was a positive correlation between the seasonal influenza vaccine and the confirmed H1N1.

We cannot entirely knock off the vaccine's potential for preventing the flu. However, there has been enough research done to show that the risks involved outweigh the benefits. When it comes to getting yourself injected, it's always a good idea to be sure of what is getting into your system.

Proper Immune System Health

There are other natural alternatives that you could consider to help yourself avoid getting the flu, and they all focus on building and maintaining a healthy immune system.

Elderberry Syrup - Elderberries have immune-enhancing properties. They prevent and help you recover from the flu.

Vitamin D - If you have low vitamin D levels, you'll be more susceptible to the flu. You can get the vitamin from the sun, cod liver oil, cheese, and milk.

Zinc - Zinc helps cut down the length of the sickness and also reduces the severity of the symptoms. You can get it from seafood and beans.

Diet and Exercise - Eating whole foods and a proper exercise regimen will keep your immune system at optimal performance.

About the Author

Dr. Donna Sergi is a leading Holistic Chiropractor in Brooklyn NY who also helps her patients overcome severe and chronic illness with Nutrition Response Testing. Learn more by visiting her website at HealthierUNY.com

 Additional References

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Truth About Cholesterol Medication

Image
Holistic Healthcare holds many key benefits over traditional medical treatments. One of these is its inherent ability to treat so many health ailments without encouragement or exaggeration of side effects and complications. When it comes to particularly advanced health conditions, being able to affect condition positively without inducing additional problems is especially vital. Holistic means to treat the body as a whole. I would like to specifically address traditional, big pharma-based cholesterol medications. This group of drugs is administered to millions of people each year. Certainly, one cannot say that successful cholesterol maintenance via his route has not been achieved. One reason for this drug group's market successes is that of successful outcomes. However, another reason for such market success is due to lack of awareness in the alternative, holistic treatment methods. Big-pharma cholesterol drugs do indeed help with many cases of cholesterol management. In many c...
Read more

Improving Your Health with Brain Foods

Image
Let's face it; you're busy. Life is non-stop, and sometimes it can be hard to keep up. Keeping your mind sharp so that you can excel at the daily grind can be challenging. One way to improve your mind is with the help of nature's brain foods. Brain foods, or superfoods, are foods that have shown to improve the function of the brain. Blueberries One of the most impressive brain foods is the blueberry. Blueberries, consumed in any form, whether they are frozen, fresh or even freeze-dried can provide your brain with protection against age-related conditions. The fruit is a powerful antioxidant that protects the brain from oxidative stress and reduces the effects of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Additionally, blueberries improve the blood flow to and from the brain giving it more power to function. Pomegranate Much like the blueberry, pomegranates provide the brain with protection against free radicals. Pomegranates assist in improving blood flow to the brain, givin...
Read more

7 Common Hormone Dysfunctions

Image
Learn How Chemical Imbalances, Digestion, Blood Sugar, Unexplained Weight Gain, Fatigue, Depression, and Menstrual Cycle Difficulties are Related to Your Hormones Chemical Imbalances For our cells and organs to know how to behave they have to receive signals. Hormones are the body's messengers that carry these chemical signals to regulate all of our body's functions. They control everything from our most basic needs like hunger, thirst, and sleep to incredibly complex systems like reproduction and digestion. They even play significant roles in our moods and emotions.  Hormones are created in the endocrine gland as well as some other glands throughout the body, and there are many different hormones with numerous different functions, which all work in conjunction with one another to keep us functioning. Imbalances in one can cause imbalances in another, and these imbalances can cause some adverse effects on the body. When one or more of our hormones are not at the right l...
Read more